Flight Safety Information September 20, 2017 - No. 188 In This Issue Incident: Spicejet B738 at Mumbai on Sep 19th 2017, overran runway on landing Incident: Southwest B738 at Las Vegas on Sep 18th 2017, smoke in cockpit EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection LEARJET 55 Runway Excursion (Venezuela) Russia issues interim report on An-2 Turbine takeoff accident in Mongolia EASA revised their Conflict Zone Information Bulletin regarding North Korean airspace Bad behavior cost an airline passenger almost $100,000. It's about time AOPA's Landsberg To Join NTSB...Bruce Landsberg Global Aerospace Launches...Aviation Professional Services Liability Insurance COMAC: Global aircraft demand to reach 43,013 in next 20 years, 8575 for China EBASCON 2018: New venue and date announced for the Eighth Annual European Business Aviation Safety Conference Airlines could cash in on a $30 billion opportunity that would make pilots obsolete Cirrus Vision Jet On Market For Purchase Airbus Chooses China for First Overseas Wide-Body Jet Plant Embry-Riddle enrolls most future pilots since 9/11 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY. CHC Safety & Quality Summit - 2017 (September 27-29; Grapevine, TX) Incident: Spicejet B738 at Mumbai on Sep 19th 2017, overran runway on landing A Spicejet Boeing 737-800, registration VT-SGZ performing flight SG-703 from Varanasi to Mumbai (India) with 183 people on board, landed on Mumbai's runway 27 in heavy rain at 21:57L (16:27Z) but overran the end of the runway and came to a stop with all gear on soft ground. There were no injuries, the passengers disembarked onto soft ground and were taken to the terminal. Related NOTAM: A1656/17 - RWY 09/27 NOT AVBL DUE DISABLED ACFT. 19 SEP 17:00 2017 UNTIL 20 SEP 05:00 2017. CREATED: 19 SEP 17:08 2017 http://avherald.com/h?article=4ae9377c&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Southwest B738 at Las Vegas on Sep 18th 2017, smoke in cockpit A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N8319F performing flight WN-1119 from Las Vegas,NV to Denver,CO (USA) with 181 people on board, was climbing out of Las Vegas' runway 25R when the crew stopped the climb at about 11500 feet reporting smoke in the cockpit and returned to Las Vegas for a safe landing on runway 25R about 15 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N8697C reached Denver with a delay of 2:15 hours. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA1119/history/20170918/1640Z/KLAS/KDEN http://avherald.com/h?article=4ae94253&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top LEARJET 55 Runway Excursion (Venezuela) Date: 19-SEP-2017 Time: 04:42 p.m. Type: Learjet 55 Owner/operator: PDVSA Registration: YV1118 C/n / msn: 45-396 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Santa Elena airfield, Uairen - Venezuela Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Destination airport: Santa Elena airfield, Uairen Narrative: Upon landing, in rainy weather conditions, the plane suffered a runway excursion and went through a small fence. There were no personal injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=199815 Back to Top Russia issues interim report on An-2 Turbine takeoff accident in Mongolia Status: Preliminary - official Date: Friday 2 June 2017 Time: 15:18 Type: Antonov TVS-2MS Operator: SibNIA Registration: RA-2099G C/n / msn: 1G73-40 First flight: 1966 Total airframe hrs: 328 Cycles: 880 Engines: 1 Honeywell TPE331-12UHR Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 10 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Ulan Bator-Chinggis Khaan International Airport (ULN) ( Mongolia) Phase: Takeoff (TOF) Nature: Demonstration Departure airport: Ulan Bator-Chinggis Khaan International Airport (ULN/ZMUB), Mongolia Destination airport: ? Narrative: An Antonov TVS-2MS aircraft impacted the ground during takeoff from Ulan Bator-Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Mongolia. The ten occupants were not injured, but the aircraft was substantially damaged. The aircraft was on a sales trip to Mongolia at the time of the accident. Eight passengers were due to be taken on a flight out of Ulan Bator. The aircraft was fueled with 950 kg of fuel. Flaps were set at 20°, according to the crew, and the aircraft was cleared for takeoff from runway 32. After lifting off the runway, the aircraft went into an immediate climb and flaps were retracted at an altitude of 40-50 m. Shortly afterwards the aircraft pitched up and entered a right bank with increasing roll rate. The aircraft lost altitude and impacted terrain between the runway and the taxiway. The right main gear and lower and upper right wings impacted the ground first, causing the undercarriage and wings to collapse. The TVS-2MS was an Antonov 2T that was converted in 2013 with a TPE331 turbine engine instead of the original Shvetzov ASH-62IR radial piston engine. Accident investigation: Investigating agency: MAK Status: Investigation ongoing Duration: 109 days (4 months) Accident number: Intermediate report Download report: Interim report https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20170602-2 Back to Top EASA revised their Conflict Zone Information Bulletin regarding North Korean airspace. Referring to French, German, U.K. and U.S. aeronautical publications, EASA recommends operators that they should "take this information and any other relevant information into account in their own risk assessments, alongside any available guidance or directions from their national authority as appropriate." As a result of unannounced testing of missiles, all countries warn for a risk to aviation in the Pyongyang FIR. The U.K. is the only country that also includes the Sea of Japan as a possible risk to aviation. The CZIB is valid until 19 March 2018. Source: * EASA CZIB-2017-06R1 https://news.aviation-safety.net/2017/09/19/easa-updates-conflict-zone-information-bulletin- regarding-north-korean-airspace/ Back to Top Bad behavior cost an airline passenger almost $100,000. It's about time. Hawaiian Airlines It's about time unruly passengers are held accountable, writes Robert Reed. A Hawaiian Airlines passenger was fined nearly $100,000 for his behavior. (PR Newswire) Robert Reed A federal court recently ordered an unruly airline passenger to pay a fine of nearly $100,000 for disrupting a flight from Hawaii to New York City. My reaction: Hurrah! It's about time. Instances of boisterous and uncontrollable passenger behavior on commercial flights are occurring with disturbing frequency, creating dangerous situations for everyone on board, and making airline travel more of an adventure than it should be. Sure, flying has become incredibly stressful but that's not an excuse for passengers acting out in the extreme. Smacking disrupters with a hefty penalty puts other knuckleheads on notice that causing trouble in the air can cost big bucks on the ground. The enforcement action also gives some backup to flight attendants who are at the forefront of trying to simmer down difficult, often inebriated, passengers. In-flight behavior is so worrisome that a few international carriers are giving martial arts training to their flight attendants. "There is rising tension on board our flights," said Sara Nelson, international president for the Association of Flight Attendants at a recent congressional hearing on the state of aviation. "De-escalating conflict between passengers has become a significant portion of work flight attendants perform on each flight." Over the past five years, 53 percent of airlines say the number of unruly passengers has increased, according to the Canada-based International Air Transport Association, which represents 275 airlines. In the past 12 months, 40 percent of airlines had to divert a flight because of a passenger behaving badly, the association adds. Drinking and drugs seems to play an instrumental role in many of these incidents, with at least 23 percent of all reported cases being linked to such substance abuse. (The IATA contends these numbers are likely to "significantly underestimate" the extent of the problem.) Some routes are known for being rowdier than others: Flights bound for Hawaii and shorter jaunts to Cancun, Mexico, or Las Vegas. Apparently, transoceanic travel is problematic too. In recent years, British officials have tried to curtail the amount of liquor being served at airport bars and restaurants to passengers killing time before boarding. While subduing out-of-line flyers falls primarily on the flight crew, the prosecution of troublemakers is usually left to the airlines and government attorneys. More often than not, the cases are not pursued. In some situations, jurisdictions are difficult to determine (after all, they are occurring in the air) or prosecutors decide the incident isn't worth the taxpayer-backed cost of building a case. United typically will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to pursue charges while American, the second-largest carrier flying from O'Hare International Airport, counts on law enforcement to take the lead. Increasingly, however, the airline industry is urging prosecutors to pursue the most egregious cases, while also pressing the federal government to levy more administrative fines or court-imposed penalties on unruly passengers. It's understandable that many travelers will bristle at the thought of the airlines getting tougher on the flying public. By now, we're all pretty aware of the litany of indignities while flying, ranging from supertight travel restrictions to cramped airline seats. Toss in April's passenger-dragging incident of Dr. David Dao from a United regional jet and flyers aren't inclined to give airlines the benefit of the doubt. But such frustrations can't allow dangerous in-flight behavior to go unchecked. The passenger who was slammed with the $100,000 fine had become so aggressive with a crew member that the pilot had to turn around the November 2016 Hawaiian Airlines flight and go back to Honolulu, according to news reports. His check will go toward repaying the airline for some of the costs incurred because of his actions - including fuel, maintenance, ground crew and the price of finding passengers other flights. The court made the right call. Making unruly passengers pay sky-high fines could eventually mean smoother flights for everyone. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/reed/ct-biz-unruly-air-passengers-robert-reed- 20170918-story.html Back to Top AOPA's Landsberg To Join NTSB Bruce Landsberg, who worked as a safety advocate at the AOPA Air Safety Institute for many years, has been nominated to be a member and vice chairman of the NTSB, the White House announced on Friday. Landsberg, who lives in South Carolina, served as executive director and then president of the ASI, from 1992 to 2014. Landsberg's depth of experience, along with the recent appointment of Robert Sumwalt, who worked as a pilot for 32 years, as chairman of the NTSB, suggests that the board will have a strong presence on aviation safety issues. NATCA issued a news release on Tuesday applauding the choice, noting that Landsberg's work at the ASI "raised the bar for pilot safety." "If all goes as planned, Senate confirmation will take place this fall and I'll be sworn in and start around the first of the year," Landsberg told AVweb in an email on Tuesday. "It's both exciting and humbling to join this group, although I have worked with them for almost three decades. The mission hasn't changed, just the organization, to help pilots and the traveling public get where they're going - safely!" Landsberg is nominated to serve as a member for a five-year term, the White House said, and also will be designated vice chairman for a term of two years. In its news release, NATCA said, "[Landsberg] created the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Flight Assist Commendation Awards, which honor air traffic controllers who displayed exceptional professionalism and dedication to safety to help general aviation pilots who needed their help. Bruce has used these types of flight assists over the years as teaching opportunities to educate other pilots to further the cause of aviation safety." Landsberg spoke with AVweb in 2013 in a podcast interview about his work at the ASI. https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/AOPAs-Landsberg-To-Join-NTSB-229644-1.html Back to Top Global Aerospace Launches Aviation Professional Services Liability Insurance Providing Coverage to Protect Aerospace Related Businesses Parsippany, New Jersey - Global Aerospace, a leading provider of aerospace insurance, announces the introduction of Aviation Professional Services Liability insurance for the aerospace industry. The coverage will be available to aerospace contractors, aircraft maintenance providers, auditors and engineers, among others. The Global Aerospace Aviation Professional Services Liability policy will provide the industry with coverage for financial loss and defense costs arising from acts, errors or omissions in performing aviation professional services. Financial loss arising from these activities is a primary exposure for aviation specialists and Global Aerospace has developed this new offering to address the risks involved. Chris Proudlove, Senior Vice President, manager Northeast regional office and UAS risks at Global Aerospace commented, "Aviation Professional Services Liability insurance is one of the most important business investments aviation professionals can make. Global Aerospace is excited to lead the way by introducing this solution to our industry." As a specialist aviation underwriting business, Global Aerospace is continuously developing customized solutions to deliver products and services to benefit our clients and their brokers. To learn more, visit the Global Aerospace Booth (#C8725) at the NBAA BACE Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on the 10th and 11th of October from 1-3pm to meet with our Aviation Professional Services Liability underwriting team. For further information, please feel free to contact Chris Proudlove at (973) 490-8525, cproudlove@global-aero.com, Nick Methven at (973) 490-8584, nmethven@global-aero.com or visit our website at www.global-aero.com. ### Global Aerospace is a leading provider of aerospace insurance with a worldwide portfolio of clients who are engaged in every aspect of the aviation and space industries. Headquartered in London, we have offices in Canada, Cologne, Paris, Zurich and throughout the United States. Across the world, we employ over 300 people. With experience dating back to the 1920s, the company's underwriting is backed by a pool of high quality insurance companies representing some of the most respected names in the business. For additional information about Global Aerospace, please visit www.global-aero.com. To learn more about the company's SM4 safety program, please visit sm4.global-aero.com. Back to Top COMAC: Global aircraft demand to reach 43,013 in next 20 years, 8575 for China Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) announced (19-Sep-2017) its 20 year (2017-2036) forecast, estimating that based on the global economic growth rate of 2.8% and global passenger traffic (RPK) growth of 4.4% p/a, global aircraft deliveries will reach 43,013 over the next 20 years, used to replace retired aircraft and support fleet development. Among the aircraft deliveries, turbofan aircraft will reach 5255, single aisle aircraft will reach 28,718 and twin aisle aircraft to reach 9040. By 2035, the global fleet of 45,376 will be 2.1 times the current fleet of 21,662, By 2036, China's fleet will account for 19% of the global fleet, up from current share of 15%. COMAC stated China will maintain its relatively high economic growth rate, estimating China's GDP will increase by 4.76% and passenger traffic will increase by 6.1% p/a and that by 2036, China's RPKs will account for 19% of global RPKs. The manufacturer estimates China will receive 8575 aircraft over the next 20 years, including 5475 single aisle aircraft, comprising mainly 160 seat aircraft at 4052. Twin aisle aircraft deliveries will reach 2003, comprising mainly 250 seat aircraft at 1097. Regional aircraft deliveries are expected to reach 1097, comprising mainly 90 seat aircraft. By 2035, China's fleet will reach 8684 aircraft, comprising of 5539 single aisle aircraft, 2048 twin aisle aircraft and 1097 regional aircraft. [more - original PR - Chinese] https://centreforaviation.com/news/comac-20172036-717102 Back to Top EBASCON 2018: New venue and date announced for the Eighth Annual European Business Aviation Safety Conference Industry Leading European Safety Conference for the Business Aviation Community changes location to accommodate increased levels of interest Neuhausen/Stuttgart, September , 2017- EBASCON, the industry's key European Business Aviation Safety Conference is proud to announce that the 2018 conference is to take place in Vienna from February 20 to 21, 2018. Previous conferences have been held in Munich, the move to a new venue in Vienna reflects the increasing level of interest in the conference and allows for even greater accessibility to the event. Recognized as the premier forum in Europe for aviation industry professionals, EBASCON covers the whole range of security topics in business aviation. The two-day conference is designed to provide attendees expert knowledge with best-practice examples on all aspects of flight safety management. Participants will benefit from the unique opportunity to network and build connections during the conference. High-ranking speakers from Europe and the USA will present the latest developments in aviation safety and share their strategies for success. Speaking about the change of venue the organizer of the EBASCON, Christian Beckert said "I am delighted to be able to announce the dates for EBASCON 2018 and alert delegates to the new venue. We have carefully considered many aspects of EBASCON and believe the move to Vienna will further enhance the conference and provide delegates with an even better experience. I look forward to welcoming new and returning delegates to EBASCON 2018." Registration for EBACSON 2018 has opened, for more information and to register please visit: www.ebascon.eu Back to Top Airlines could cash in on a $30 billion opportunity that would make pilots obsolete With autonomous driving on the way, the natural progression is to consider the possibilities of autonomous or pilotless air travel. It's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility. After all, most modern commercial aircraft possess some sort of semiautonomous flight capabilities. But regardless of how advanced these planes are, they all require at least two pilots to be at the controls. (Some smaller general-aviation aircraft require only one pilot.) But what if one day the airline industry could operate without pilots? It would certainly change the complexion of the industry. After all, costs such as salaries, pensions, training, and the threat of pilot shortages could be done away with. According to an analyst note published by UBS in August, pilotless flight could save the airline industry as much as $30 billion over two decades. Of that, $26 billion would come from no longer having to pay pilots. Another $3 billion would come from cheaper insurance and lower training costs. The remaining $1 billion would be saved from optimized operations from new pilotless technology. Pilotless flight wouldn't come to fruition overnight. Instead, it's expected to take place in phases. Over the past 30 years, technology has rendered the navigator and the flight engineer obsolete, reducing the flight crew to two from four. With further development, the thinking goes, the workload in the cockpit will be further reduced to a point where only one pilot is required before autonomous technology renders human pilots unnecessary. UBS, however, doesn't expect full pilotless flight to be implemented before 2030. There are still some major challenges, the most difficult of which is persuading people to board a plane without a pilot. In a recent study conducted by UBS, 54% of the 8,000 people surveyed by the firm said they would be unlikely to take a pilotless flight. According to UBS, the four groups least likely to board a pilotless plane were students and unemployed people, nervous flyers or those concerned with aviation safety, those who book travel over the phone, and women. Among those most likely to fly on a pilotless plane were people ages 18 to 34, people from the US, business travelers, and people who book their travel on location or through email. http://www.businessinsider.com/pilotless-planes-could-save-airlines-30-billion-ubs-2017-9 Back to Top Cirrus Vision Jet On Market For Purchase DULUTH - After over a decade of planning, the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet is now on the market for people to purchase. It costs just under $2 million. The plane is designed for the non-professional pilot, according to Dale Klapmeier, Cirrus Co-Founder, CEO. He said they wanted to design an airplane where people are close to the pilot. It holds five adults and two children. "We changed the market with this, we redefined personal transportation. We redefined what it means to fly in a personal jet," said Klapmeier. The Vision Jet sits on the tarmac in Duluth. It is made completely of carbon fiber, which Klapmeier says makes it lighter than most other aircrafts. The jet as a whole weighs 6,000 pounds. He says it is designed to be both safe and efficient, and is a fraction of the cost compared to other jets. "It's cheaper to purchase, it's cheaper to operate," said Klapmeier. He knows the Vision Jet wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of his employees. "Without the people that are here, this would still just be a dream," said Klapmeier. He also credits the community of Duluth for why Cirrus is successful. "The people in Duluth, the work ethics in the upper Midwest are second to none," said Klapmeier. Cirrus has job openings for anyone interested in a career in aviation. More information can be found at https://cirrusaircraft.com/careers/ http://www.wdio.com/news/cirrus-vision-jet-duluth-/4608198/ Back to Top Airbus Chooses China for First Overseas Wide-Body Jet Plant * COO Bregier opens A330-model completion center in Tianjin * Facility is designed to roll out two aircraft a month Airbus SE is courting China with its first wide-body jet facility outside Europe, positioning the company to chase billions of dollars in potential orders from an aviation market that's set to become the world's biggest within a decade. On Wednesday, Chief Operating Officer Fabrice Bregier inaugurated the $200 million completion center in Tianjin, a site designed to give finishing touches such as painting and cabin installation to A330 aircraft. The city, near Beijing, is already home to an assembly plant that produces single-aisle A319s and A320s. The A330 for Tianjin Airlines at the Airbus completion center in Tianjin.Photographer: Dong Lyu/Bloomberg In a race to earn Chinese goodwill, Airbus and Boeing Co. are moving parts of their manufacturing and supply chains to a country the U.S. company estimates will need $1.1 trillion of aircraft over two decades and where the government still makes key purchasing decisions. For China, which has its own aviation ambitions, the A330 center is a coup of sorts in its chase to build its own commercial planes. "China naturally wants to capture back some of the value in its purchases," said Will Horton, a senior analyst at Capa - Centre for Aviation in Hong Kong. "Assembly and outfitting are a small portion of an aircraft's total value, and something Airbus and Boeing can part with in order to build their relationships in China." Besides the political decision to woo China, where policy makers want companies to manufacture locally under a "Made in China 2025" blueprint, the two aerospace giants are also moving delivery closer to customers in Asia to help ease the strain on the planemakers' existing facilities. The first A330 off the new line will go to Tianjin Airlines. The facility aims to roll out two planes a month in a year. Boeing Too Airbus is also building a helicopter plant in the coastal city of Qingdao while Boeing has started construction of a finishing center for its 737 narrow-body jets on Zhoushan island south of Shanghai. Besides these facilities, the two are also in joint ventures with units of state-owned Aviation Industry Corp. of China, or AVIC, to supply aircraft parts. After their investment in the narrow-body assembly line in China, the market share improved, Bregier told Bloomberg Television's Tom Mackenzie on Wednesday. "So, there's a direct connection between your investment, your capabilities to demonstrate that you care about the Chinese industry and at the same time your market access," he said after the inauguration. Returning the favor, China has placed billions of dollars in orders with the companies. In July, Airbus won contracts worth $22 billion to supply state-owned China Aviation Supplies Holding Co. with 100 of the A320-series jets and 40 of its latest twin-aisle A350s. In 2015, planemakers won orders valued at $102 billion for some 780 aircraft. Not Much "A completion center doesn't cost very much compared with a final-assembly line," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace consultant at Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia. "So, if it results in a modest number of additional Chinese orders, it's worth the investment." But competition is brewing slowly in China. State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, which tested its home-built single-aisle C919 jet in May, said Tuesday that it won orders for as many as 130 of the aircraft while it still waits for certifications from regulators. The company, known locally as Comac, says its order book is now at 730 planes. It has also teamed up with Russia's United Aircraft Corp. to develop a wide-body model which it aims to deliver by 2027. "The new facility is undoubtedly going to help with advanced manufacturing for China, considering this is the first facility for wide-bodies," said Wang Guangqiu, deputy director of Beijing Skyrizon Aviation Industry Investment Co. "However, be it Airbus or Boeing, none of them will be willing to transfer their core technologies and create a competitor. Moving part of the manufacturing facility here is just for reducing cost and being close to the market." Will 'Made in China' threaten Boeing and Airbus? Click here to read more In March last year, Bregier said that Comac is seen as "a very real competitor" that could become formidable sooner than the 20 years once envisaged. The choice of A330 for the completion center may help limit leaks of advanced technology as it is a relatively older plane, but will still keep Beijing happy. The order backlog for the plane in Asia Pacific was 594 at the end of August, according to the company's website. Among wide-bodies, the latest A350 model and Boeing's 787 Dreamliner are gaining in popularity. Meanwhile in China, narrow-body aircraft are in vogue more than larger types. Single-aisle models are expected to account for 75 percent of the 7,240 new planes estimated to be delivered to the country in the 20 years through 2036, according to Boeing. While China remains the world's biggest source of outbound travelers, a lot more mainlanders are also taking to the skies to explore domestic destinations, making it a lucrative market for planes that can fly short and long haul. The number of people flying to, from and within China will almost double to 927 million by 2025, and reach 1.3 billion by 2035, according to the International Air Transport Association. "China has always been thinking about being involved in all aspects of the aviation industry," said Mohshin Aziz, an analyst at Maybank Investment Bank Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. "Manufacturing is the last part they need to build on, but it's also the most difficult part. Having a center for both wide- and narrow-body aircraft will be good for China." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-19/airbus-seeks-chinese-goodwill-with-first- overseas-wide-body- site?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=bd&utm_campaign=headline&cmpId=yhoo.headline&yptr=yahoo Back to Top Embry-Riddle enrolls most future pilots since 9/11 Michael Dee, director of flight training with Republic Airways, talks to freshman Peter Wagner in the cockpit of an Embraer 170. The university has attracted more students to its flight department this fall than any other year since 2001. [Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University/David Massey] DAYTONA BEACH - A few minutes in the cockpit was all it took for 12-year-old Peter Wagner to make the greatest decision of his life -- becoming a pilot. "It isn't so much choosing a career, it's chasing a dream," Wagner said of his pursuit of flight. "Every time a plane flies overhead I get chills all over my body and my heart beats faster. It's the thrill of knowing I could be flying up there." Now, six years later, Wagner's caught up with his dream. He joins a surge of students that have propelled enrollments at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's flight-training program to recent highs. For the past four years, enrollments in ERAU's flight program had remained largely flat at about 1,100 students. But this year, the university attracted 1,330 students - a 16 percent increase - and the largest since 9/11, said Ken Byrnes, chair of the Flight Department. Wagner said he chose to attend the university because of its aviation-focused environment. "You walk to class and an airplane flies over and everyone stops and looks up," Wagner said. "Everyone's into aviation here." Driving demand The upturn in the airline industry, demand for air travel and worldwide shortage of pilots all are factors that could've lead to the uptick in enrollments, Byrnes said. In the United States, current and impending pilot retirements are largest drivers of demand. Because the Federal Aviation Administration requires commercial pilots to retire at 65 years old and baby boomers are fast approaching or already at that age, the shortage only is going to intensify. "Between now and 2035, the aviation industry will need to supply more than 2 million new aviation personnel - 617,000 commercial airline pilots, 679,000 maintenance technicians, and 814,000 cabin crew," a 2016 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook forecasts. To keep pace with the increased demand, Embry-Riddle increased its number of student flights per day from 280 to 300. It also added four training aircraft to its fleet and bought a new flight simulator, Byrnes said. Beside the extra equipment, the university hired about 20 flight instructors and it plans to hire another 30 to 40 in the coming months, raising its total to more than 200 flight instructors. On the career ladder, flight instructors are often are somewhere between a student and commercial pilot. Many are certified, but not necessarily commercial pilots and most haven't yet reached the minimum 1,500 hours of flight time required by the FAA, or 1,000 hours required for ERAU students. Typically, Embry-Riddle students work as paid flight instructors for about a year before moving onto regional commercial airlines, Byrnes said. Senior Evan Boggs is one of them. While just a few years ago Boggs was a novice aviator, he now finds himself teaching others to fly. "It can be a little nerve-wracking at the time," Boggs said. "I'm astounded the balancing act that this turns out to be and I had no idea of that as student." Boggs said he plans to work for a regional airline and move onto a major carrier once he has more experience. "Now, with the hiring needs of the airlines, it seems like a good time to get into the industry," Boggs said. It hasn't always been. 'No better time' Back in 2001, ERAU was hosting about 1,500 students in its flight program. Then the attacks of Sept. 11 happened. "9/11 had a significant effect on the market," Byrnes said. "Prior to that, the airlines were growing. Demand for pilots started to increase again in 2006, then the recession hit. Then in 2007, the FAA passed a rule raising the retirement age from 60 years old to 65 years old. It implemented the rule in 2009, which extended the hiring lull for another five years. The rocky history of mergers, closures, and general volatility of the industry turned students off to the field, Byrnes said, adding that it's typically a five-year commitment before one can fly commercially. But the industry has stabilized in recent years. "You may have chosen an alternative path because of the uncertainty," Byrnes said. "Now there's no uncertainty. There is no better time in recent history, maybe history in general, to be training to be a pilot." Given that enrollment for flight training at Embry-Riddle was only growing by about 1 percent annually in recent years, this fall's 16-percent increase is significant, Byrnes said. Regional carriers also have become more aggressive in their attempts to lure potential pilots. First officer starting salaries nearly doubled from around $30,000 to nearly $60,000 in recent years. Airlines also have added signing bonuses and offered travel packages, with some even taking to college campuses to "earmark future pilots for their work force" as early as their sophomore year. From an entry-level position of first officer at a regional airline, salaries increase with the size of the airline and upon making the rank of captain, with captains at major carriers making more than $200,000 a year, Byrnes said. Wagner's not quite in the captain's seat yet, but he has no doubts he will be. One recent Monday marked his first time actually flying an airplane. "Starting up the motor is one thing, but going down the runway and looking out the window and feeling the wheels come off, you feel your breath come out of your chest," Wagner said. "It was kind of hard for me to hold back the tears because my dream was coming true." http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20170919/embry-riddle-enrolls-most-future-pilots-since-911 Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participants, You are being requested to participate in a research study of your information on factors contributing to the decision to quit flying from Part 121 commercial aviation. This study is expected to take approximately 8 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old and currently employed as a Part 121 pilot in the United States. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. If you choose to opt out, your data will be destroyed. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8FNJBHZ For more information, please contact: Gajapriya Tamilselvan gtamilselvan2014@my.fit.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Curt Lewis